


pov

by irondevils



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Based on an Ariana Grande song, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt Tony Stark, Nightmares, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Potts Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, because why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27282922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irondevils/pseuds/irondevils
Summary: 5 times someone told Tony they loved him, and 1 time he loved himself
Relationships: James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Maria Stark & Tony Stark, Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Tony Stark & Avengers Team
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	pov

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's only been two days and I'm posting AGAIN. I'm on a roll. 
> 
> anyway, Ariana Grande's new album just came out, and POV gave me big Tony Stark vibes, so here's this. it’s also inspired by nic and jude, so hi guys if you’re reading this lmao. Someone may have already done this, I don't know, but oh well. 
> 
> I didn't proofread this, so there may be a lot of grammar mistakes. This also may be really bad, or maybe it's not. That's up to you. 
> 
> Happy reading!

I: NATASHA: _You know me better than I do_

_Can't seem to keep nothing from you_

_How you touch my soul from the outside_

_Permeate my ego and my pride_

Tony heard her before he saw her, and from his brief time knowing Natasha Romanoff, that meant she wanted him to notice her presence. 

It was 3 a.m. , pretty early for Tony Stark’s standards, and he was on his fourth cup of coffee since he decided to forgo sleep for the night five hours prior

“Can’t sleep?” Natasha asked, brushing past his shoulder and snatching the coffee mug out of his hand. Tony didn’t even bother protesting.

“Yeah, what else is new?” He grumbled, slumping down in his seat and resting his head on his crossed arms.

_You don’t deserve to sleep. You have to work on their tech, make it better. Something could happen to them if you don’t make it better._

Tony had an insomnia problem, which was a fact everyone who had ever lived with him knew very well. Pepper was on a business trip in Tokyo this week, so nobody was here to quiet down his brain and force him into bed. 

“Anything in particular keeping you up?” Natasha questioned, pouring the coffee down the drain and setting a glass of water down in front of him. 

“Just working, upgrades and all that fun stuff.” Tony responded, taking a sip from the glass and nodding at Natasha in thanks. 

She gave him a small smile. “Upgrades can wait Tony. You’re no use to anyone if you run yourself down like this.” 

“I’m not run down,” Tony said, slightly offended and dropping his forehead back onto his arms. “I’m just fine.” 

He could hear Natasha roll her eyes, creeping up behind him and placing a hand on his right shoulder. 

“No, you’re not.” She said, rubbing her hand up and down his back. Tony tensed, but eventually sighed and relaxed into her touch.

“No,” He admitted. “I’m not.” 

They sat in silence for a bit, before Natasha decided what she was going to say. 

“Nothing that happens to any of us is your fault Tony.” She said softly. 

Tony didn’t respond. Natasha knew he didn’t believe her. She sighed, and gripped his jaw, gently forcing him to look up at her. 

“We appreciate everything you do for us Tony, but you do too much. You know it and we know it,” Natasha then added, softly and with a smile, “None of us could ever blame you for something that isn’t your fault. We all love you too much for that.” 

Tony was tired, stressed, and drowning under the weight of his overwhelmingly crushing guilt complex. But he managed a genuine smile. 

Natasha stared at him, smiling sadly, before letting go and making her way back toward the door she came in from. As she was about to leave, she turned around again.

“Get some sleep Tony. We’ll all still be here when you wake up.” 

  
  


II: PEPPER: _I_ _wanna love me, the way that you love me_

  
  


Tony was well aware that loving him wasn’t easy. To be completely honest, he didn’t know why better even bothered. He loved her, God he loved her, but he was a piece of work. 

So yeah, Tony wondered every day why Pepper was still here. But he was grateful nonetheless.

Especially right now, when the nightmares were more terrifying than usual and his anxiety was at its worst. But Tony’s safety net was right next to him. 

He sat up with a gasp, sweat soaking through his shirt and distantly feeling hands on face. Tony stared at the wall, catching his breath. He wasn’t sure if we wanted to cry or throw up. Or both. 

“Tony?” Pepper’s voice cut through his panicked haze, and he turned to look at her. Pepper’s hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, and she looked as beautiful as ever in one of his old band t-shirts. Her hands were cupping his face, and as he looked at her, tears welled up in his eyes.

Pepper climbed forward, settling in his lap and wrapping her arms around him. Tony buried his face into her shoulder. tears soaking her shirt. She ran her hands through his hair, muttering soft reassurances in his ear. 

Eventually, when the tears subsided and the fear settled, he moved to look up at her. She took his face into her hands and gently wiped his tears with her thumbs. Tony gave her a watery smile. 

“It’s okay Tony,” Pepper whispered. She kissed his forehead, each cheek, and pressed a gentle, chaste kiss on his lips. 

“I love you,” Tony breathed, resting his forehead on hers. She had to know. Anything could happen at anytime and she had to know, he _had_ to tell her.

Tony could hear the smile in her voice.

“I know Tony,” Pepper replied, pure adoration lacing her soft words. “I love you too, more than anything.” 

III: RHODEY: _For all of my pretty, and all of my ugly too_

Rhodey’s constant presence in his life was another thing Tony didn’t understand. 

He was stuck with him in college, didn’t want to leave him for the wolves. Tony understood why he stuck around then, though at the time he wasn’t as grateful for it as he was now. 

But Rhodey stayed. After his parents died, after he inherited a billion dollar company, after Afghanistan and Iron Man, after _everything._

They had fun sure, and God Tony _loved_ Rhodey more than almost anything. But now, after the so called “Civil War” and Rhodey being paralyzed because of _him_ , Tony was fully expecting Rhodey to want nothing to do with him ever again. 

When he not so subtly mentions this to Rhodey during a physical therapy session, Rhodey laughed.

“Tony, man, after everything we’ve been through? You think I just wanna leave?” 

Tony stared at him. That’s exactly what he thought. 

Rhodey looked at him, _really_ looked at him, and sighed. 

“Tony this isn’t your fault.” 

“This was my fight Rhodey. It shouldn’t have even gotten that far, but you got hurt and the kid got hurt and you guys shouldn’t have even _been_ there! How is it not my fault?!” Tony shouted. 

Rhodey didn’t even flinch.

“Tones, you didn’t force any of us to fight with you. We _chose_ to be there. I’ll _always_ have your back, man. I’d fight next to you no matter the cause. You have to know that.” 

Tony swallowed hard, avoiding looking at his friend and staring at the window.

“But you don’t have to,” Tony muttered, defeated. He was tired. He needed coffee, he needed Pepper, and needed a _nap._

Rhodey smiled at him, genuine. 

“I want to Tones. You’re my best fucking friend and I love you. Ride or die man. I scooped you up at MIT and I’m not letting go so easy.” 

Tony laughed. Yeah, he didn’t know how Rhodey still liked him, much less loved him, after everything that had happened. 

But knew he wasn’t getting rid of Rhodey anytime soon. 

IV: PETER: _I wanna trust me, the way that you trust me_

Bursting through the wall of the warehouse, Tony had eyes for one thing. 

That one thing, was lying pale and motionless in a puddle of blood on the floor. 

_Peter._

“Kid?” Tony called out shakily, disengaging the suit and falling to his knees in front of the teen. “Pete?” 

Peter was silent. Tony couldn’t even tell if he was breathing.

Jesus this was all his fault. If he hasn’t gotten so attached, hasn’t let the kid slip through the cracks in his walls, Peter wouldn’t be here. He wouldn’t have been kidnapped three days ago and held for ransom. He wouldn’t have been drugged, stabbed, electrocuted. He wouldn’t be bleeding all over the floor looking terrifyingly lifeless. 

Tony pressed down on the side of Peter’s neck with shaky fingers, letting out an unsteady breath of relief when he felt the weak thumping of the kid’s heart. 

It wasn’t ideal, and Jesus Christ the kid needed medical attention immediately, but he was _alive._ And that was good enough for Tony.

He reengaged the suit and gently scooped the kid into his arms, carrying him bridal style. Tony stepped out of the wall he had blasted through, moving as quickly as he could without jostling the kid too much, and shot up into the sky.

They were about five minutes out from the Tower when he heard a weak, “Mr. Stark?” 

Peter was staring up at him with half lidded eyes, his pupils blown and his movements sluggish in a drug filled haze. The kid smiled at him. God Tony could cry.

“Hey kid,” Tony greeted, grinning with tears welling up in his eyes. Peter frowned, reaching a hand out to touch Tony’s face.

“Why you cryin’?” Peter asked, looking as worried as he could probably manage.

Tony laughed. A genuine, good natured laugh.

“I just missed you kid,” He answered.

Peter seemed satisfied by his response, closing his eyes and settling back down in Tony’s arms. 

“Missed you too,” He said, sounding fairly lucid, before relaxing and falling back asleep. 

Tony couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. God he loved this kid.

“You’ll be okay kiddo,” He promised. “I love you, buddy.” 

As Tony touched down at the tower, seeing Helen Cho and her team making their way toward him, he heard a small voice say:

“I love you too Mr. Stark.” 

V: MARIA: _Cause nobody ever loved me like you do_

Tony sat with his back against the wall, clutching his wrist and tears running down his face. 

The bruise wasn’t _that_ bad, probably wasn’t broken this time, but it’s the way he got it that he knew would stay with him for a long time.

His father had gotten angry, like he always did. But this time, he started throwing things at his mother, instead of him. Tony couldn’t, _wouldn’t,_ let Howard hurt her. So he got in between them. That turned out to be a mistake. 

His father had pushed him into a wall, gripping his wrist so tight that Tony was sure it should’ve shattered. Had yelled, _screamed,_ that Tony was nothing. That he was _worthless._ His mother hadn’t bothered to say anything, Tony didn’t want her to. Howard would only take it out on her. 

Now he sat, slumped against his bedroom wall, trying to forget what had happened so he could put on a brave face for Rhodey when he went back to school in a few hours. 

A knock on his door broke him out of his stupor. It opened and he looked up to the familiar, tear stained face of his mother. Tony tried to wipe his tears away, but it was no use. They streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably, and his mom gave him a sad smile. 

“I’m so sorry bambino,” She said softly, sitting down next to him and pulling him into her arms. “I’m sorry about your father.” 

Tony leaned into her touch, breathing in the scent of the perfume. 

“Why are you still with him mamma?” He cried. “After everything, why are we still here?” 

Maria sighed, running her hands through his overgrown hair.

“Your father loves us Anthony, he loves _you_ , but he doesn’t know how to be a father. Or a husband for that matter,” Maria said in a laugh devoid of humor. “That’s why we’re still here. At the end of the day, he loves us.” 

Tony hated that. He knew his mother was trying to make this easier for them, they both knew Howard was an _evil_ man, but it was a little nice to pretend his dad loved him. But he knew then, and especially later in his life, that not knowing how to be a father was no excuse to be a shitty one.

But Tony sat there, wrapped in his mother’s embrace as he cried, and took a moment to be grateful he had his mother here with him. He hoped Howard kicked the bucket long before she ever did. 

As tears slowed and the pain in his wrist faded, his eyes began to get heavy. Tony laid his head on his mother’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

“I love you bambino. More than anything.” 

He’d be okay. 

+1: TONY: _I'_ _d love to see me from your point of view_

Tony sighed, taking in the plain walls and chemical smell of the hospital room. It was late, and everyone but him was asleep.

They did it. They beat Thanos.

In a way, they lost. Natasha was gone, and Tony knew he hasn’t fully processed it yet. It had been two days, and he missed her like hell. But he has a feeling she thought it was worth it. Tony certainly knew that his sacrifice was. 

Peter, not dust, not ash, alive and _breathing_ , was asleep against his chest. His face was

blooded and bruised, and his arm was in a sling, but he was _here._ Sure, he’d lost an arm in the process of saving the world, but fuck was it worth it. 

Pepper had just taken Morgan up to bed. Happy was on his way back from Queens with May Parker, her nephew curled up on Tony’s bed. Rhodey was asleep on a chair to Tony’s left. His family, minus Nat, was okay. That’s all that mattered.

His _family_. People who loved him unconditionally for some unknown reason. Or, maybe it used to be unknown.

After the best and worst five years of his life, Tony learned to be a little less harsh on himself.

He had invented time travel, gotten Peter back, and saved the whole goddamn universe. 

Tony was really fucking proud of himself, and for once, he knew he deserved it. 

**Author's Note:**

> So there was that! I hope you mostly enjoyed it. Feel free to tell me what you thought, comments and kudos are very much appreciated. 
> 
> Come hang out with me on...
> 
> TWITTER: @starkandmurdock  
> TUMBLR: tastelessirondad
> 
> until next time :)


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